This invention relates generally to cabinets and, more specifically, to cabinets made of plastic injection molded parts and that house electrical wiring.
Cabinet assemblies are well known in the consumer market, and, in general, are multi-piece structures consisting of one or more doors, a top, bottom, two sides, a rear wall, and one or more shelves. They are used for the storage of various items ranging from food and clothing to tools, etc. Historically, cabinet assemblies have been fabricated of some sort of wood product, either wood pieces themselves or high-density pressed wood type products that have a stained outer surface. Cabinets of this type are found in many areas of the home, such as the kitchen, laundry room, garage, etc.
Traditionally, electrical boxes have been located adjacent to cabinets for powering appliances and tools, controlling lighting, and providing connections to telephone and cable TV services. These conventional electrical boxes, made of plastic or metal, along with associated wiring, reside within and behind adjacent walls. The electrical boxes are typically mounted on metal or wooden wall studs above the countertops and, in some cases, are also provided above wall-mounted cabinets to facilitate the use of indirect lighting. All of the wire routing methods and electrical boxes that contain components such as switches and plug receptacles must meet regional requirements for safety that are generally specified by the National Electrical Code.
Prior art cabinets have been primarily designed as stand-alone building components for storage only. Electrical lighting fixtures, appliances, and other electrical products have been attached externally to either the bottom or top of cabinets in an effort to improve lighting or reduce countertop clutter.
The recent evolution of plastics has resulted in innovations in the fabrication of storage cabinets and bins. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,380 to Mottmiller et al. describes a plastic cabinet design in which a door hinge mechanism is integrated with top and bottom members and in which molded panel locking mechanisms facilitate easy assembly of the cabinet by the user.
A similar prior art general use plastic cabinet is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,553 to Cohen, in which separate molded top, bottom, back, and side members include internal and external webbing for added strength. Metal hinges are used to attach the door, and the remaining components are attached by a combination of attachment hardware and molded interlocks.
The need for housing electrical wiring and associated components, such as receptacles, switches, and lighting within a cabinet assembly has not been addressed in the prior art.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a cabinet assembly that incorporates home electrical wiring, plug receptacles, switches, lighting, appliance holders, and other special features.
It would be further advantageous to provide a plastic primary cabinet structure having top, bottom, side, and rear panel members to thereby form a box-like cabinet.
It would be further advantageous to provide a primary plastic cabinet structure fabricated as either a single molded box-like structure or a combination of individual top, bottom, rear, front, and side members that are then bonded together.
It would be further advantageous to provide separate plastic primary wall mount and floor mount cabinet structures.
It would be further advantageous to provide a wall or floor mount cabinet assembly incorporating one or more integral electrical wire pathways, one or more electrical boxes, one or more electrical junction boxes, and one or more regions for lights and lighting components.
It would be further advantageous to provide a wall or floor mount cabinet assembly incorporating preformed injection molded electrical boxes, junction boxes, electrical pathways, and lighting regions for accepting commercially available plug receptacles, switches, and lighting.
It would be further advantageous to provide a wall or floor mount cabinet assembly incorporating appliances that may be attached to the bottom of a wall mount cabinet assembly or that may reside in the drawers or doors of a floor mount cabinet assembly.
It would be further advantageous to provide a wall or floor mount cabinet assembly incorporating dimensionally correct preset holes for door and door closure hardware mounting to thereby accommodate either wood or plastic doors that may be easily installed.
It would be further advantageous to provide an injection molded floor mount cabinet assembly incorporating preformed drawer tracks and an area for attaching a child safety lock.
It would be further advantageous to provide a cabinet assembly that accommodates the installation of bottom, top, and side plastic sheets that may be covered by wood veneer outer pieces or be replaced with wood panels, thus providing a wood finished outer appearance.